Alexander A. Golovin, Alexander A. Nepomnyashchy: Self-Assembly, Pattern Formation and Growth Phenomena in Nano-Systems

Non-linear dynamics and pattern formation in non-equilibrium system have been attracting a great deal of attention for several decades due to their tremendous importance in many physical, chemical and biological processes. However, only recently was it realized that similar phenomena play a crucial role in the vast majority of processes that occur on nanoscales. While on the macro- and micro-scales one has the advantage of controlling the processes by special instruments and devices, on nanoscales, such instruments are absent, or their use is prohibitively expensive. Therefore, spontaneous pattern formation, self-organization and self-assembly promise a unique route to the control of these processes. The investigation of self-organization on nanoscales requires substantial revision of the available scientific knowledge in pattern formation and nonlinear dynamics due to essentially new mechanisms and phenomena, that can be ignored in macro- and microworld, but play a decisive role in the world where typical distances are measured in nanometers. The understanding of the basic physical principles and mechanisms of self-assembly and pattern formation on nanoscales can lead to a real breakthrough in nanotechnology and to the creation of a new generation of electronic devices, sensors, detectors, as well as ”labs-on-a-chip”.